Machinery for measuring and marking fabrics.



No. 842,435. PATENTED JAN. 29, 1907. A. H. SUTTON.

MACHINERY: FOR MEASURING AND MARKINGFABRIGS. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16. 1905.

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A. H. SUTTON. MACHINERY FOR MEASURING AND MARKING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED 001216. 1905.

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No. 842,435. PATENTED JAN. 29, 1907.

A. H. SUTTON. MACHINERY FOR MEASURING AND MARKING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16. 1905.

6 SHEETS-SHEET a.

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No. 842,435. PATENTED JAN. 2 9 1907.

' A. H. SUTTON.

MACHINERY FOR MEASURING AND MARKING PABRIGS.

I APPLICATION FILED OUT. 16. 1 905.

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-rn: NORRIS PETERS co., WASHINGTON b c v No. 842,435. PATENTED JAN. 29, 1907.-

A. H. SUTTON. MACHINERY FOR MEASURING AND MARKING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-16. 1905.

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PATENTED' JAN. 29, 1907.

A. HLSUTTON. MACHINERY FOR. MEASURING AND MARKING FABRICS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16. 1905.

6 8HEETSSHEET 6.

ANDREW H. surrou'or MENTS, TO PARKER AND IVOOLSON MACHINE COMPANY, OF

NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- SPRING- FIELD, VERMONT, A CORPORATION OF VERMONT.

MACHINERY FOR MEASURING AND MARKING FABRICS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 29, 1907.

Application filed October 16, 1905. Serial No. 282,878.

To all whom it Who/y concern:

plied in a useful way the purpose of marking the fabric numbers continuously marking has indicating the units of length are printed periodically upon the selvage of the goods as the fabric is fed along. This method of been found ob-. jectionable for many reasons known to the trade; and it is one of my objects to provide a machine in which the recording and marking mechanism shall be so placed as to allow the fabric to pass freely through the measuringmachine without marking of any recording and marking mechc nism belng meanwhile properly advanced, so that the total number of measured units may be rinted on the end of the piece and may be duplicated on a card to be attached to the piece as a tally or check on the quantity sold from that piece. In connection with the above-mentioned recording device I have provided an indicating mechanism whereby the number of units measured from any given point on the fabric may be observed by the operator. The various mechanisms which go to make up these recording and indicating devices are so constructed and arranged in detail that the said devices may be released at will and returned to their initial or zero position.

It has further been my object to improve many of the details of construction incident to this type of machine, as will appear more fully from the description to follow.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 presents an end elevationof my machine viewed from that end on which the measuring mechanism is located. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the measuring mechanism, the measuring-roll being broken away and cerkind, the

tain other parts indicated in dotted lines.

II. SUTTON, al Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan of the recording mechanism, the covering-plate and stamping-plunger being removed for the purpose of better illustration. Fig. 4 presents a sectional plan of the operating-shaft, showing details of construction. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation on the line 5 5 of Figs. 8 and 4 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 6 is a detail showing the pawl-and-ratchet mechanism for advancing the units and tens wheels. Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional detail taken on the line 7 7 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating the mechanism by which the fraction-recording wheel isadvanced. Fig. 8 is a detail in partial vertical section, illustrating the clutch mechanism for advancing the indicating-disk and permitting its return to the initial or zero position.

As is usual in such passed over a measuring-drum A of unit circumference fixed to a main operating-shaft A. The operating-shaft carries two cams A A loosely mounted thereon, but adapted to be rotated therewith through the action of a cone-clutch A, which clutch may be thrown into and out of operation in a manner and for a purpose to be subsequently described. One of the cams A referred to is intended to operate the lowest, which is generally the fractional, denomination of the recordingwheels and is provided with as many operating-surfaces as the number of actuations which it is desired to impart to this particu lar recording-wheel B during each complete revolution of the shaft. The second cam is designed to operate, and advance the recording-wheels of higher denomination than the one previously referred to and in the instance shown is constructed to operate the unitswheel B, and therefore is constructed to bring one actuating-surface into play during each complete revolution of the shaft A.

Referring to Fig. 7, it will be seen that the machines, the cloth isrotation of the cam designed to actuate the lowest or fractional recorder B transmits its motion to the latter through a sliding bar O,

mounted on a short rod D, projecting from the frame D. Pivotally connected with the outer end of the sliding arm is a rocking lever 4 carrying a pivotally-supported pawl O at its opposite end. The said sliding bar C is maintained in a retracted position by means -B are journaled on a carrylng the record1ng-wheels and are adapted to prevent return movement on of a tension-spring attached to the rocking lever C at one end andto the frame of the machine at the other in such manner that an antifriction-roller secured to one end of the bar constantly bears against the cam-surface As is obvious from the drawing, the rotation of the cam A will push the sliding bar 0 forward and oscillate the rocking lever C in such manner as to drag the pawl C forward. The pawl is so positioned as to be held by a tension-spring in constant engagement with a rack-wheel C rigidly secured to the rotatable fraction-recording wheel B, and each forward movement of the pawl consequently advances the said wheel a certain distance, which is determined by the throw of the sliding bar. Spring-pressed dogs B shaft in the framework the part of the wheels. Thus there is a constant fractional advance of the fraction recording wheel, which bears as many fraction-recording devices as may be desired, the distribution and numbering thereof obviously being determined by the number of ratchet-teeth and the structure of the actuating-cam. Simultaneously with the rotation of the cam just described the cam designed for the actu ation and advancement of the units-wheel B and the tens-wheel B 1s rotated and once in the course of each complete rotation advances a sliding bar C similar to that previously described, but which is shown with a slightly different detail structure for the purpose of assembling, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 5. Pivotally secured to the outer ,end of this sliding bar 0" is a rocking lever C journaled at an intermediate point to a bracket projecting from the frame. The upper end of this rocking lever is forked and carries a piVotally-mounted yoke C, the outer ends of which yoke are shaped to form pawls 0 C adapted to advance the units and tens recording wheels. A tension-spring O", secured to the cross-bar C of the yoke and fastened to the frame, tends to hold said pawls against the ratchet-teeth, which are rigidly secured to each of the recordingwheels referred to.

The pawl C for operating the units-wheel B has a longer tooth than that which operates the tens-wheel B and by reason of this and the fact that the said pawls are rigidly connected by the yoke C the tens-pawl is normally kept out of engagement with its cooperating ratchet-teeth. (See Fig. 6.) One of the ratchet-teeth on the unitswheel, however, is so deeply cut as to form a deep notch O, which is designed to allow the yoke to drop down into such position that the tens pawl also comes into engagement with its ratchet-wheels, thus insuring the advancement of the tens-wheel once during each complete revolution of the units-wheel.

By the structure just described the several recording-wheels are caused to advance in proper order, so that the correct stamping or marking devices mounted thereon are brought into position for stamping the measured length upon the cloth, which stamping may be effected at the will of the operator. The marking is effected by means of a ribbon E, similar to that of a typawriter, .which lies across the face of the characters on the periphery of the recorders. Secured to a projecting frame-plate D bracket D, carrying a spring supported hand-stamp E, which has a platen E on the lower end thereof for the purpose of pressing the cloth against the marking-ribbon. The ribbon is wound at each end upon rolls E E journaled on the frame. These rolls have tension devices E and ratchet-wheels E of the usual type. Depending from the platen at each end are pawls designed to be thrown into or out of operation with the said ratchetteeth each independently of the other. The arrangement of these parts is such that upon the depression of the platen the pawl which is in engagement with its ratchet-wheel will upon the return of the platen to its normal position advance said ratchet and its roll a certain distance, thus drawing the ribbon across the recording-wheels so as to present a fresh surface thereof. The two ratchets are arranged to feed the ribbon in opposite directions, so that when one pawl is in engagement the other must bethrown out of engagement. The means of accomplishing this is immaterial to the present invention, and it is not thought necessary to describe the same in detail.

Simultaneously with the advance of the recording devices an indicating-dial F is advanced by means of a worm-gear A. (Shown in Fig. 4.) The worm is positioned upon the outer end of the main shaft A and secured thereto in such manner as to rotate there with. Meshing with the worm is a toothed wheel F, which forms part of or is rigid with a cone-clutch F mounted in a bracket D projecting from the frame D. Carried by this clutch is the indicating dial or disk F, which has a centrally-depending rod F passing through the center of the'rotating coneclutch. ries a spider F between which and the lower end of the clutch is a compression-spring F designed to pull a cone member on the indicating-dial into close frictional engagement ,with the cone of the clutch and to cause it to rotate therewith.

The periphery of the indicating-disk is of course marked off in any desired manner designed to give indication of the number of units or frictional parts of cloth carried over is an overhanging 842,435 I o. e 8

the measuringdrumr index-finger G,

secured to the framework of the machine, serves to mark the zero-pointfl In order that the recording devices and indicating-disk may atjany time within the will of the operator be restored to their initial or zero position, I have. devised means for tlIlIOWlIlgihG various parts out of operative connection with themain shaft A, and pro,-

videcertain arrangements of springs aiiddetents whereby the recording parts will be automaticallythrown to and stopped at "the Zero-point, as described below Secured to the upper end of the main frame is a hand-lever H, provided with a lockingpm H designed to hold it mposition. R1g idly connected with this hand-lever 1s a short arm H?, from which depends ap1votallycon nected. link H whlch 1s attached'at liSlQWGl end to a rockinglever H, which 111 turn carries at its opposite end a second link H5, pivotally attached to the lower end of the rackbar 11, sliding in a bracket projecting'from the frame. Meshedwiththe said rack-bar H and rigidly secured to a shaft journaled in the-frameworkis-a pinion H designed to be rotated by the reciprocation of said rackbar; Uponthe. same shaft with. the pinion H and likewise rigidly connected therewith is a cam H andtwo rocking arms H H, which arms need not be two in number, but

are so shown, since for mechanical reasons,

such number is preferable. Mounted in the frame and below the shaft on which the rockarms H are secured is a sliding plate H carrying projecting lugs H l lfladapted-to strike against heels on the detent-do'g's B previously described as preventing backward movement on the part of the recordingavheels. As the raclcbar H reciprocates, and thereby rotates the she t on which the rockingarms H are secured, these arms pressagainst the sliding plate H and advance the latter until.

the lugs H carried thereby come in contact with the heels on the detent-dogs B and up the latter, so asto throw them out of contact with the ratchet-teeth on the recordingwheels. Each "of these recording-wheels is provided with any suitable mt'ernally-wound friction-s rin structure tendin to throw it.

backward toward the zero-point, which tendency is normally restrained by both their op erating-pawls and the detent-dogs referred to. I Thisreturn friction-spring is an ordinary mechanical device, being of that illustrated and, described in United States Patent No. 359,579, March 15, 1887,=to Sut- ,ton and Watson.

Immediately aiter'the oi the] dogs in the manner just described the pawls for the units and tens wheel are thrown clear of their ratchets by reason of a second lug H on thesliding plate coming in contact with r and moving a projection C on the yoke (1 carrying the said pawls. During this operation the cam H mounted on the shaft with therock-ing arms, wipes the end of an elbow.- arm H pivotally mounted on the same short shaft which supports the sliding bar H This elbowarm has at its extremity a B adapted to beoaught by a detent B 'when .thezero-point is reached. -These detents are heldin position by coil-springs secured tothe shaft, on which the detents are mounted. This arrangementallowsthe pins B projecting from the recordingwheels, to snub the de tents B out of the way when said wheelsare 1 in. operation.

From the preceding description it will be seen that the operation of shifting of the handlever at the top of the frame will allow each of the recordil gwvheels to be returnedto its" initial position. at any time desired by the op erator. Simultaneously with this action the frictionclutch controlling the rotation of the cams is thrown out of gear, as will. appear below. As thehand-lever' H is shifted for this purpose'one endof the rocking leve'rHfi pivoted to the lower part of the frame, is

drawn up and strikes oneend of a'lever'K,

pivotally fulcrumed to that part of the frame supporting the indicating-disk. I ver Kis raised it comes in contact with the spider F on the-lower end of the rod-F depending from the indicating-disk and elee vates said rod and disk against the pressure of the coil-spring F which holds the disk, in gearwith the cone clutch. By this means the disk is ermitted to turn freely and may As this lei be swung sick to the zero-point by hand,

though ofcours'e this may be accomplished automatically by means of a 'frictionspring similar to that employed in turning the recording-wheels. On the lower side of the disk is a stop-lug Fi, adapted to swing against a dog F pivoted'to the frame and retained inobstructing position'by means of a tension-spring F Should the disk in mov ing forward berotated more than one complete revolution thestop-lug li will strike against the upper end of the dog F and brush it forward and out; of the. way, the ten sionspring yielding sufiiciently for that purpose; lVhen, howeventhe' disk is swung backward to bring the zeropoint opposite the index-finger G, the stop-lug will strike against thedog, whichlatter is rigidlyheld against movement in a-reverse direction. by

reason of its bearingagainst the frame. The scale on the periphery of the indicating-disk is so adjusted that the zero-point will be opposite the index-finger'wlien the stop-plug comes in contact with the dog.

Simultaneously with the release of the indicating-disk by means of the horizontal lever K referred to the said horizontal lever operates a crank-arm K, pivoted to a projection 011 the bracket supporting the indicatingdisk. This crank-arm K at its free end bears against the inner side of a knob A on the end of a rod A, slidably fitting into the outer end of the main shaft A. shaft A is slotted in the vicinity of the cone clutch A", which normally operates the camdisks A A and through this slot is passed a pin A uniting the inner member of the coneclutch to the rod. A compression-spring A, surrounding the main shaft and bearing against the inner member of the clutch and the worm A which is rigidly secured to the shaft, tends to hold the said inner member in frictional and operative engagement with the cams A A so that the rotation of the shaft will cause the rotation of the said cams.

When the rod A is pulled outward by the motion of the crank-arm K, the inner mem ber of the clutch is pulled out of engagement against the pressure of the coil'spring referred to and the cam-disks are thus left free to turn loosely on the main shaft. In order to automatically return the cams A A to the zero-point, I have provided them at one end with a spring-barrel A (shown in Fig. 4,) in which the inner end of the spring is secured to a fixed sleeve 1)", whilethe outer end has close frictional contact with the inner wall of the spring-drum. Said drum has on its periphery a stop A, (shown in Figs. 2 and 4,) so positioned as to come in contact with a pivoted dog A arranged as to allow the stop on the drum to pass by going one direction and to be caught and held at the zeropoint on the reverse movement. Fixed to the frame and overhanging thespring-barrel is a retaining-bracket I), having a depending finger D fitting intoa peripheral groove A of the spring-barrel, thus holding the latter, together with the cams fixed thereto, against longitudinal movement when. the inner member of the cone-clutch is drawn outward, but allowing said barrel to have a free rotation at all times. By this arrange ment it will be seen that immediately upon the release of the cam mechanism from the friction-clutch the spring-barrel will swing the cams back to zero position, beingstopped automatically in such position by the .dogs mentioned. j

Certain parts of the mechanismsuch as the usual nuts, bolts, and stopcollarsI do not think'it necessary to describe,.since the structure andarrangement of parts is obvi- Said main ous from the drawings, and these are of the ordinary conventional type.

By means of the machine which I hav just described it will be seen that I am enabled to measure a fabric of any length Without placing any. indicating-mark thereon.

The end of the measured piece of goodsmay now be inserted beneath the stampingplaten and above the marking-ribbon and the platen thereupon depressed by hand, and this action does not change the position of the printing-wheels. Therefore a duplicate of the indicated measurement may be printed 0n.a card to be attached to the piece, and this card will serve as a tally or check on the amount of the goods sold from that-piece. After such marking the recording and indicating mechanism may be returned to their zero. osition and the measurements begun afresli Having thus described my invention, I 'claim 1. A fabric measuring and marking machine comprising a rotating member adapted to be moved relatively to the face of the fabric so as to serve as a unit of measure, a shaft fixed to said measuring-unit member and arranged to be rotated therewith, cam mechanism carried by said shaft and connections between the shaft andthe cam mechanism adapted to secure rotation of the latter with the former, recording devices, connections between the cam mechanism and the recording devices whereby the motion of the cam mechanism is adapted to advance said recording devices, means for retaining the recording devices in their advanced position and means adapted to disconnect the said cam mechanism from said shaft and release the retaining means of the recording devices and permit the latter to be returned to their initial position, retracting means adapted to return the cam mechanism to its initial position and detents arranged to arrest the cam mechanism and recording devices at such initial positions.

2. A fabric-measuring machine comprising a member adapted to be moved relatively to the fabric so as to serve as a unit of measure, a shaft so connected with said measuringunit member as to be rotated by the said relative movement thereof, cam mechanism connected with and operated by said shaft, a

series of recording-wheels comprising a fraction-wheel and one or more integer-wheels, pawland-ratchet connections so arranged that the said wheels may be advanced by the motion of the cam mechanism, the advancing connections ofthe fraction-wheel being sepa rate from and independent of those belon s I ing to the integerwheels, separate retaining.

devices adapted to hold each wheel in its ad-' vanced position, separate means for releasing the pawl-and-ratchet mechanism and retaining devices of each wheel, and a movable element adapted to simultaneously actuate each of said separate releasing devices.

3. A fabric-measuring machine comprising a movable measuring-unit member, a shaft so connected as to be rotated by the motion of said measuring unit, an indicating device, connections between said shaft and said indicating device whereby the motion of the for mer will be transmitted to the latter, ,cam mechanism connected with the shaft and adapted to be -moved thereby, recording mechanism so connected with the cam mechanism as to be advanced by the motion of the latter, and means for simultaneously releasing the indicating mechanism, the cam mechanism and the recording devices from their several connections whereby they may be each returned to their initial position.

4. A fabric-measuring machine comprising a movable measuring-unit member, a shaft connected therewith and adapted to be rotated by the motion thereof, an indicating device connected with said shaft and adapted to be advanced thereby, a plurality of camsurfaces connected with said shaft, a series of recording devices mounted. on the machineframe, connections between certain of the recording devices and certain of the cam-surfaces whereby the motion of the latter actuates the former and independent connections between certain other of the recording devices and certain other of the cam surfaces, separate retaining devices for each of said recording devices, a rotatable shaft journaled adjacent to said recording devices, tripping members adapted to be advanced against said retaining devices and release the same, and means carried by said rotatable shaft adapted to advance said tripping means when said shaft is rotated.

5. A fabric-measuring machine comprising a measuring-unit member, a series of recording devices, pawl-and-ratchet mechanism for advancing the same and connections between the measuring-unit element and the pawland-ratchet mechanism' whereby the latter will be operated upon the motion of the former, said recording devices being so mounted that they are capable of movement in a re verse direction so as to return to their initial position, detents arranged to oppose such reverse movement, tripping means adapted to be moved against the detents and throw them out of operation, tripping means adapted to be moved against the pawl connections so as to trip said pawls clear of the ratchets, a

- rotatable shaft journaled adjacent to said tripping devices, and provided with projections rigidly connected therewith adapted to advance said tripping means upon the rotation of said shaft.

6. A fabric-measuring machine comprising a member adapted to be moved relatively to the fabric so as to serve as a unit of measure,

a hollow-ended shaft connected with said measuring-unit member so as to be rotated by the movement thereof, a worm carried by said shaft, a worm-wheel journaled in a bracket on the machine-frame and meshing with said worm, an indicating-disk supported by and having a cone-clutch connection with said worm-wheel, cam' mechanism loosely mounted on said shaft, a cone-clutch mounted on said shaft and adapted to cooperate with a member on the cam mechanism and to transfer rotary motion to the latter, a spring interposed between the worm'iiXed to the shaft and the last-mentioned coneclutch and adapted to maintain the latter in engagement with the said member of the cam mechanism, a rod mounted in the hollow end of said shaft, a key passing through a slot in the shaft and connecting the cone-clutch with the said rod, a hand-lever secured to the framework of the machine, and connecting the hand-lever to throw the indicating-disk out of engagement with the clutch carried by the worm-wheel and to retract the rod carried in the hollow shaft so as to release the clutch operating the cam mechanism.

7. A fabric measuring and marking machine comprising a movable measuring unit, a shaft connected with said unit and adapted to be rotated by the movement thereof, cams carried by said shaft and connected therewith, sliding arms mounted on a shaft projecting from the frame, springs connected with said sliding arms in such manneras to cause their inner ends to normally bear against the cam-surfaces, each of said sliding arms being pivotally connected at its outer end to a rocking lever, the rocking levers carrying pivotally-supported pawls, recordingwheels having secured thereto ratchets and mounted on a shaft in such manner that the said pawls may engage said ratchets, springpressed dogs mounted on the frame and positioned to engage such ratchets, a plate slidably mounted in the frame behind said dogs and provided with lugs adapted to trip the dogs when the plate is advanced toward the same, and means for advancing said sliding plate.

8. A fabric measuring and marking ma TIO ciprocation of the rod against the force of the spring, recording-wheels mounted on a shaft carried by the frame, ratchets fixed to said recording-wheels, pawls adapted to cooperate with said ratchets, lever connections between said pawls and the ca1n-surfaces I means for tripping the said retaining-dogs whereby the rotation of the-latter serves to whereby, through movement of the handleadvance the recording-Wheels, spring-pressed ver, the said clutch is thrown out of gear and dogs mounted so as to engage said ratchets the said dogs are tripped.

5 thereby preventing backward movement on In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my 15 the part of the recording-Wheels, tripping signature in the presence of two Witnesses. means for said dogs, a hand-lever mounted ANDREW H. SUTTON. on the machine-frame, and connections be- WVitnesses: tween said hand-lever, the sliding rod to CHRISTIAN MEYER,

I0 which the cone-clutch is attached, and the REGINALD YOUNG.

It is hereby certified that the name of y the assignee in Letters Patent N 0. 842,435, granted January 29, 1907, upon the application of Andrew H. Sutton, of New York, N. Y., for an improvement in Machinery for Measuring and Marking Fabrics, was erroneously written and printed Parker and Woolson Machine Company, Whereas the said name should have been writtenand printed Parks and Woolson Machine Com-- pany; and that the said Letters Patent should be read With this correction therein. that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 19th day of February, A. D., 1907.

[SEAL] F. I. ALLEN,

Commissioner of Patents. 

